How to Turn Interruption into Extra Value for Your Customers

We all know that one person who’s a serial interrupter — and as much as we may like this person, it becomes increasingly annoying when they keep interrupting us.

Why, then, do businesses act as though it’s acceptable to interrupt their customers?

On TV and radio, we run ads that interrupt the program they want to watch or listen to. With the SOLE exception of the Super Bowl (during which none of us can afford an ad anyway), I’ve never heard someone say:

Gee, golly, I can’t wait to see the ads they run during my favorite TV show tonight!

Have you?

On the Internet, we pollute websites, search engines, social media platforms and email inboxes with ads and content that only talk about what our businesses do, rather than WHY we do what we do. As international bestselling author Simon Sinek accurately says in his book Start With Why, people don’t buy what we do or how we do it. They buy WHY we do it.

So, if we agree that interrupting people online and offline ISN’T the best way to cultivate meaningful relationships that result in new customers, higher purchasing frequency and more word-of-mouth, what IS the best way to achieve these outcomes?

It’s simple: Instead of interrupting the experience, BE the experience. Instead of interrupting the content, BE the content.

If you want to be on TV, create a low-budget Web series. (People watch more online video than offline video nowadays.)

If you want to be on the radio, start a podcast for your business. (It’ll cost you less than $200 to get started.)

If you want to be in a magazine, create a digital magazine like I’ve done for a local business and a major one. (People read more online than offline these days, anyway.)

For the first time in the history of commerce, businesses can directly connect with their customers and add extra value to their day-to-day lives (instead of doing things that interrupt them). With extra value comes a plethora of new customers, higher purchasing frequency and more word-of-mouth.

It really is that simple.

About The Author

Josh Hoffman help businesses, brands and people achieve greater, faster success within the fields of personal branding, digital marketing and freelancing.

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